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History:
The first founders of the city are Phéniciens who had installed a
counter there. About 1500, the Portuguese installed a fortress and a
damping there. But the true foundation of the city goes up at 1764,
when the sultan alaouite, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah, decided to
build a new port to support the trade between Africa and Europe. For
that, it made call with a French, Theodore Cornut, disciple of
Vauban, which drew the plans of them. Then, it made there establish,
among the population local - Arabic and Berber -, of many European
consulates as well as an important Jewish community come from the
other cities from the Kingdom and surrounding campaign. During two
Essaouira centuries was regarded as the port of Tombouctou: one
exchanges imported products of Europe there counters feathers of
ostrich, gold powder, salt, and also of the black slaves (from where
the important presence of Gnaouas). Nowadays, the economic
advancement of the port of Essaouira was supplanted by that of
Agadir or Casablanca, but its superb site and its singular history
do not cease fascinating travellers and artists of the whole world,
such as Paul Claudel, Orson Welles, the Living room Success, Jimi
Hendrix, Maria Callas or Pasolini... |
Climate:
Particularly soft and sunny all the year, with periods of wind (in spring and in
summer). The temperatures vary between 14°C and 18 °C in winter, and 22°C and
28°C in summer. Time with Essaouira:
Essaouira weather
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Religion:
Moslem
Language:
Arab, but the majority of the Morrocans include/understand and/or speak French,
Spanish and English.
Currency: 10 Dh (dirham)
= 1€.
Formality:
Valid passport required
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Population:
the town of Essaouira counts today nearly 70.000 inhabitants. The province
counts some 450.000 of them.
Telephone: To
call Morocco, compose the 00 212 follow-up of the number of your correspondent
(by removing first zero).
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